The Girl Next Door
by Jak Ransom
Summary: Trent moves into a new house, away from all of his closest friends. His neighbour Courtney has been going through problems alone when all she needs is a friend. If Trent sees her as an untouchable beauty, then how can he help when she needs him most?
1. New In The Area

**AN:** this is my first total drama island fic so it might be bad. this idea came to me in a dream, it was my neighbours as the characters though.

**

* * *

**

As I sat in the back seat of my parent's car next to my younger sister and baby brother, I thought about all the things we left behind at our old house. So many memories come to mind and it makes me sad to think I might never see certain people again. I'm still going to the same school, but now that we're moving closer, I won't have to commute for two hours just to get to school.

It seems like I should just go to a closer school, but the ones nearby aren't as spectacular. The Alto Academy doesn't accept just any student, and I was amazed to be accepted almost straight away. The principle Mr. James Alto seemed pleased with my behavior and involvement in my previous school, so when he shook my hand as I left that interview, I knew that I had a good chance.

I'm glad my parents didn't mind the price of attending this school, the opportunities I have at this school is such a large range compared the limiting public school I attended two years ago. I only went there for a semester before transferring to this school, so I didn't have much time to make close friends at that school, but I've lived in the previous neighborhood all of my life. It's so hard to leave when your closest friends are all in one place. I never really made really close friends at the Alto Academy, I was usually too far away to attend the little events that were going on, the ones where friendships really bloom.

About half an hour later, we arrived at our new home. I unbuckled my baby brother, Conrad, and held him in my left arm, on my hip. My little sister, Amy, unbuckled herself and hopped out of the door on my side. I walked over to the large tree that was planted outside the gate and looked up at our new home; Amy wrapped her little arms around my right leg and gazed at the brown bricked walls and dark orange roof. I smiled at the thought of the new home, now that dad got that promotion, we can afford such a beautiful house like this in such a rich neighborhood.

Amy tugged on my pant leg and I looked down at her, for a four year old, she was a good observer. "Trent, look! We have mail already!" She pointed at the mailbox where a pink envelope was sticking out; as mum and dad unpacked I decided to open it myself. On the front in black ink was cursive writing that said _'Welcome'_. It was folded three times and when I opened it, the black cursive writing was spread across the page. It was an invitation to a welcoming party held at number eight. Since it was a small colder sack, there were only nine houses, we moved into number nine. Tonight at six o'clock a party was being held to welcome us into the street, it seemed a bit soon but we had a few hours to unpack and find something suitable to wear.

I walked over to my parents and told them what was happening before picking up my guitar case in my free hand and walking to the front door. Mum gave me the key so I put the guitar case down and put the key in the lock and twisted it, when I heard a click I turned the knob and opened the door. Amy carried a little backpack and followed behind me while still holding onto my right leg. The hallway was a bit dark but the light from the back door was enough for me to find the light switch. When I flipped it, four lights shone throughout the long hallway. I picked up my guitar case and walked through the door, looking at the three stairs down to the living room and the seven stairs that lead to the next floor. I walked up the seven steps, and then turned right where the staircase continued. Seven more steps up then there was another right turn; six steps up after that and I was in the upstairs hallway. I saw five cream doors with glass door knobs and at the end of the hall was a small opening that required me to crawl into.

The bottom of the opening was as high as my waist, the top was around the height of my shoulder, and it was as wide as me and a half. I looked into the opening and saw a wooden area that looked like the attic. There was already a door to the attic so this was something different. I stuck my head into the opening and looked around, making sure not to bump Conrad's head on the wall. I looked around the small area, spotting power plugs and parts of the trusses engraved. If I climbed up in there I would have enough room to stand crouched over, but there was a lot of room to do something with. I decided to look into that later, but I left the room alone and continued to bring in bags from the car and boxes from the following truck. The rest of the afternoon I unpacked things into several different rooms, including my room, which is nearest to the room with the small opening.

By five thirty, all of our beds and boxes were in the appropriate rooms; my favourite guitar was in its holder, and was placed in the corner opposite the door. I looked over at it while I rummaged through the clothes box, looking for something to wear and urgently wanted to strum out a tune that has been in my head since the car ride. I don't remember hearing it before, it just sounds good. I picked out a light green button up shirt, black slacks, a black vest and a black blazer. I also picked out my favourite belt with an electric guitar belt buckle. My parents told me that I should wear something nice so that we can fit in with this neighborhood. I did as I was told, but gave it my little bit of charm.

I walked downstairs to find dad in a tuxedo without a tie, holding Amy, wearing a pink silk dress with her curly black hair in pigtails. Mum was wearing a white turtleneck dress and was holding Conrad who was in a little tuxedo. That seemed a bit weird, but mum was into the cute little clothes. Dad gave Amy to me so I could hold her as he introduced our family to the neighbors. We locked the front door and made out way to house number eight, we saw many neatly trimmed hedges and flowing fountains that were lit underneath by blue lights.

Dad knocked on the front door and we waited for a response in silence. When the door was opened we were greeted by a young girl who looked familiar to me. She had tan skin which matched her deep brown hair, and rich brown eyes that seemed fitting with her image. She wore a short sleeved, grey turtleneck with a high waited black skirt, her hair was cut just above her shoulders and it seemed straight and smooth. As she was greeting us I noticed she kept looking at me for a longer amount of time than the other members of my family. "You must be the Stevens; I'm Courtney Baxter, welcome to the neighborhood." She gestured for us to come inside and I walked over to her, "Courtney?" She examined my face, "I know you from somewhere, don't I?" I nodded and smiled, "You go to Alto Academy?" She smiled and quickly nodded, now understanding, "There are two other families in this street with children in our grades that go to Alto Academy, you are now the fourth." I smiled at her, "That's great! Who are the other two?" She gestured for me to wait a moment before she ran off.

A few minutes later I noticed that my parents were conversing with other adults and I let Amy go to play with the other little kids. Courtney came back when I started to look around for a seat. Following her was a boy and a girl,; the boy was tan with dark hair, he wore a maroon plaid vest over a light blue button up shirt and black slacks. He seemed timid and almost hiding in the book that he held. The girl was blonde and Caucasian, her green eyes matched her hair which was in a bun; she wore a knee length, light blue dress with diamond earrings. "This is Noah and Bridgette." She pointed to the two behind her, Bridgette waved and Noah glared. "I'm Trent Stevens," I said as I held out my hand for them to shake it, they both shook my hand but Noah seemed more reluctant.

For the rest of the night us four hung out, Courtney seemed to text someone every once in a while so I suspected it was her boyfriend. She didn't mention him that night but I know about him. At school word gets around about who is dating who, and the word about her is that she is dating a criminal.

I've seen her as such an amazing person, but it seems that she hasn't noticed me. I see her working and studying hard, I see her getting amazing grades, I even found her in the music room playing the piano and singing. As she played the soft melody she hummed, when the time was right she sung lyrics fitting to the genre. That time I saw her sing and play, I fell in love with her. Not just because she has an amazing voice, but what she goes through to be able to relax like she was in the music room on that day long ago.


	2. Doing An Izzy

**AN:** sorry for not updating anything recently. i have to write a short story for english and have been working on that. so all my literary skills have been put into that instead of these. sorry about that.

* * *

The next day I had plans on hanging out with Courtney, Bridgette and Noah, but first I had to unpack more boxes into my room. Conrad was fast asleep in his nursery and Amy was making the empty cardboard boxes into a fort. I visited her every once in a while to check her progress; since she had a room to herself, she was free to make the fort as large as her creativeness could take her. The last time I checked, she had several boxes around her that reminded me of a classic castle, she was also wearing one of the boxes as a helmet. She reminds me of when I was that age; when she gets older, I want to teach her how to play guitar.

I was quickly unpacking all of my clothes into my wardrobe and hung some in my closet. I was very excited to be hanging out with Courtney outside of school, especially since school was always so strict when it comes to uniforms and behavior. I can finally see her in her own environment, just like when I saw her singing. When I removed one of my shirts from its box I noticed something hard was inside it; when I unwrapped it, I remembered that I kept the last one of my model trains there so it would be well protected. It was given to my by my late grandfather when I was young, before he died one of the wheels fell off and he promised to fix it. He never had the chance to, but my mum told me that it didn't need to be fixed, it was unique in that way; she said nine would be my lucky number because the train was unique like me. After his death I sold every other model train I had because I lost interest and they weren't from my grandpa, with the money I earned from selling them, I had enough to buy a second hand acoustic guitar. I became so into music that my parents bought a new acoustic guitar and electric guitar, though I prefer to play acoustic so that I can play it anywhere and not need an amp.

It was midday when I heard the doorbell ring; I was in a pair of black jeans, a short sleeved blue button up shirt, a studded belt, and a studded dog collar. I don't often wear collars and things like that, but a friend gave me one for my recent birthday and I felt the need to use it at least once. I ran to answer the door, just beating my dad to the punch; I waved him off then greeted Courtney. She was wearing a loose off the shoulder cream shirt with dark skinny jeans and a body tight black denim vest. She giggled when she saw me; I looked at her strangely and waited for an explanation. When she stopped she understood why I was blankly staring at her, "With that collar, you remind me of someone." I was confused, "Anyone I know? Do they go to our school?" She shook her head, "No and no. You just remind me of my boyfriend." I frowned subtly, "Should I take it off?" She examined my face for a moment, "No, it suits you." That got me thinking, her boyfriend wears dog collars like this and is a criminal… what is this girl into?

I bid farewell to my parents and closed the door behind me, I heard a soft response coming from the kitchen so I assume they knew I was going. We walked down the pathway with at least a foot between us, I had my arms in my pockets and she had her arms entwined behind her back. I wasn't sure what I should have said, so I said something bland, "So how are you?" She looked over at me, "I'm good, you?" I looked into her eyes and was speechless for a moment, "Uhh… Yeah, same." Her eyes were staring into mine also, she was looking for something, I could tell. I noticed a small step from the road up onto the next pathway, I stepped up but she didn't seem to notice it. She tripped and almost fell onto the hard concrete, but I caught her just in time. If I had seen it sooner I would have warned her or be able to steady her, but I caught her just as she was about to hit the ground. She looked confused and I could feel her breath heavily. My left arm was wrapped around her shoulders and my right arm was wrapped around my waist, I didn't want to let go but I set her down and rolled her over so that I could see her face.

Her face was frozen in shock; no movement was seen in her now black eyes. Over a few minutes she slowly came back to realize that I had my arms wrapped around her torso, staring into her eyes. I looked at where my arms were and quickly moved them away, "I'm sorry." She kept staring at me, this was getting awkward. "Don't be, you stopped me from getting injured in the dumbest way possible. I almost did an Izzy." I laughed at that, it was an inside joke between the kids at our school. A girl in our grade, Isabelle Johnson, is the most clumsy and accident prone girl that anyone could meet. Sure she excelled in things like Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Manual Arts; but that didn't make her any less of a klutz. "I guess it's helpful that I have decent reflexes," I added, it didn't seem necessary. She sighed in agreement and decided to stand up; I stood with her from my kneeling position. I looked around the street to see who else was there, but there was no one in sight. I felt a tugging on my shirt and looked down at Courtney, "If it wouldn't be too much to ask, but can you keep that moment between you and me? I don't want others knowing that I almost did an Izzy." I smiled and laughed, "Of course, your secret is safe with me."

Within seconds, Noah and Bridgette approached and we all headed to the nearby park to start the neighborhood tour.


	3. Two Sizes Too Small

**AN:** I'm sorry Heather, Lindsay or Beth fans, but i went for the classic mean girl look for those three. Some swearing for this chapter so i will make the rating go up.

I was trying to establish what the main four characters are like in their school.

* * *

It was a long day for us all. We all walked around the entire town, Courtney acting like a tour guide while Bridgette pointed out some great places to eat. Noah seemed to be complaining about the heat the whole time, bugging Courtney to finish doing her tour at night when it was cooler and to go to the library (where it was air-conditioned) during the day. But she continued on, ignoring Noah's pleas for his sanctuary.

When we could only see half the sun, the four of us were sitting in the park that was at least a ten minute walk from our street. Courtney was talking about a group of girls in a nearby street that I should avoid, and Bridgette was making it sound even worse. "Whatever you do, **don't** get involved with the three girls that live in the colder sack two streets away. You might have heard of Heather, she goes to our school. But you might not know about her two friends," Bridgette interrupted her with a cough, "I mean, allies. One of them is named Lindsay, and I'm not surprised that she has become involved with Heather. She may be pretty, but she is dumber than a nail, and that's without being bashed on the head several times. She uses her beauty to get her way; once I was waiting in line to see a really good movie, she walked past me and pushed in at the front of the line, none of the guys complained and the ticket guy gave her a free ticket. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of power over people! How are girls like Bridgette and I supposed to compete?" When she said that I thought for a minute, the same thoughts revolved through my mind, _more like how could she compete with you_.

Then Bridgette continued while Courtney was fuming on the seat next to Noah, "The other girl that Heather has trained to do her bidding is a shorter girl named Beth. She used to be really nerdy with braces, glasses and an acne problem, not to mention she didn't understand style. But once Heather figured out that Beth was smart and could easily be used, she gave her a complete makeover, changing that sweet, average girl into a gorgeous bitch." Courtney stood up interrupting Bridgette, "That dumb blonde wouldn't know the difference between Euler's formula and Pythagoras' theorem!" Bridgette sat Courtney down and seemed to be trying to calm her down, Noah continued what Bridgette was saying before, "She really has changed from that short, awkward girl we knew a few years ago. She used to be a good girl, before Heather moved into that street; the poor girl only wanted to be popular." I nodded, taking it all in; watch out for Heather and her drones. But they didn't describe what Lindsay and Beth look like. "What do they look like?"

Noah, who was now sitting on the table of the picnic table, gazed into the distance behind me. He shook Courtney who sat on the chair beside his legs and both Courtney and Bridgette looked at the same spot that Noah was before. I watched as Courtney's face turned from frustration to subtle anger, she tried so hard to hold something in, but I could see that she wanted to punch something. I turned around and looked at what they all stared at. Three girls were walking towards us, I could only just see them; one was the black haired and hearted witch I knew from school, sure she didn't bully me, but I've seen her pick on a few people that didn't deserve that kind of treatment. To her left was a girl that was almost as tall as her, her long brown hair reached her waist (just like Heather's black hair) and she wore skin tight clothing. She wore a teal green boob tube which ended above her pierced bellybutton, a black miniskirt which, lets face it, could be passed off for a belt, and knee high black boots. Her eyes were unnaturally golden, as if she were wearing contacts, she was wearing so much makeup that her Caucasian face was masked, and she looked like she was about to tear someone apart. The girl to Heathers right was as tall as Heather but with Caucasian skin, she had an unnaturally large chest and was as skinny, if not skinnier than Heather. Her Blonde hair was also as long as Beth and Heather's and in the same style, but her blue eyes made her look more individual. She was wearing next to nothing, also in a small boob tube and miniskirt, but hers was red and orange instead of green and black. She even wore knee high boots, except they were brown and more like cowboy boots. Before I knew it, they were standing in front of us, Heather leaning on the table, the other two standing up straight with their arms crossed.

"Well if it isn't the wannabe surfer, and her pathetic friends. Tell Bridgette, have you been bitten by a shark yet?" Heather laughed at her really bad joke, Lindsay and Beth laughed too. "Hey Heather; get any sexual diseases yet? Or did your drones do that for you?" Courtney stood up and said that right in Heather's face, that was good. Heather humph-ed then moved onto another topic, "Like you can talk Courtney, you look dirtier than a Mexican maid. I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out like one." The three mean girls laughed, I had to speak up for her, "In no way does she look dirty, and her tan skin is smooth and beautiful. Yours on the other hand is pale, rough and boney. How could you say she is dirty, when you look like a cheap hooker from a side street, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if you are one." She growled and stepped closer to me, her eyes showed her fury and her teeth were grinding together, "Fresh meat? You should know your place around here. You see, this group is at the bottom of the high-school food chain. Lower than the losers, this group is known as the outsiders. Outsiders have no place in any group at Alto Academy, and let's face it; all should have stayed at your previous schools. No one likes you guys or wants you around, so just go already. This park is ours, no scram!"

Courtney was right, what the hell is Heathers problem. Never having a conversation with her before, I never knew how evil she could be. "We may be outsiders, but it's not like people want us gone. You on the other hand seem to be the hooker of the school. You have absolutely no fat and little muscle, so don't even try to push us out; this park is for everyone. Everyone wants you gone, I've only known you for less than ten minutes and I'm sure you're the least tolerant person I have ever met with a heart two sizes too small. Heck, make that ten! Why do you bother making others miserable when you yourself seem like a sorry excuse for a teenage girl? You are the reason why people think all teenage girls these days are a bunch of skanks" She was fuming, she was about to scream or hit me but Beth interrupted her, "Oh my gosh Heather! The Twilight New Moon twitter just updated and there is another trailer! We have to go home and watch it! Please Heather; I'll die if I don't see it!!" Beth was on her knees begging Heather, Lindsay followed. I was so confused at why girls are so obsessed with these things. "Fine, alright. At least we can get rid of the smell of outsider while we're there." That was a really pathetic blow; she doesn't have any idea how to say something with class, even if it's an insult. Heather walked away while Beth ran and Lindsay skipped; Heather looked back and glared at me before disappearing from our sight.

"Apart from mimes, fangirl's really creep me out," I said to the others, they nodded in agreement. Courtney looked at her watch and her eyes widened, she let out a small scream, "5:00, I have to get home! I'll see you guys' later okay?" She waved goodbye than ran out of the park, towards our street. "We should go home too, dinner should be ready in an hour or so and I promised that I would play with Amy." Bridgette and Noah stood up and walked with me back to our street. "Why is Heather so mean anyway?" Noah stated, "Well, no one quite knows the reason. It could be that her head isn't screwed on quite right. It could be, perhaps, that her shoes are too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all may be that her heart is two sizes too small." I laughed at the reference, "You're probably right Noah; Bridgette, any ideas?" She looked over at me and thought for a moment, "Her parents didn't hug her enough?" I nodded, "Likely, but I like Noah's explanation better." From then on I knew that these two would be good friends throughout high school and hopefully beyond that.


	4. The Naive Princess

I was in my room reading a book when I heard a rustle in the bushes outside. I stopped reading and stared blankly at the wall at the end of my bed for a moment, trying to listen to the nearby sounds. I folded the current page and set the book down on my bedside table. I knew something wasn't right, it didn't sound like the wind passing through, but something was moving around in there. I hopped off my bed and walked over to the window where I lifted the bottom part to open it up. The rustling was louder now that the window was completely open, but it was too dark to see what was making the noise.

That's when I saw Courtney; her window was adjacent to mine, so I could see into her room easily. She was at her desk at her desk, I couldn't see what she was doing, but I could see the side of her face as it concentrated on something in front of her.

The rustling from the bushes stopped and a dark figure emerged from them, as he climbed onto the roof he made sure not to make any more sounds. The figure had broad shoulders and a masculine torso, so I assumed it was a male. I wasn't sure what to do, yell at him and try to knock him off the roof, call the cops, go outside myself and drag him down, the choices were endless. But before I could decide, he was beside the window without looking in. He started to sing, with an amazing voice I must shamefully admit, "_I'll steal you, my princess. I'll steal you. Do they think that walls could hide you? Even now, I'm at your window. I am in the dark beside you." _As he sung those familiar lyrics, I saw Courtney perk up and rush to the window. I quickly closed my curtains but peered through the gap, she smiled as she saw the figure; his silhouette was made clearer by the light of her room. "_Buried sweetly in your mocha hair. I feel you, my Princess. And one day I'll steal you._" Her eyes fluttered as he sung that. I could identify the man more easily than before; he had a decently large Mohawk and seemed to be more built than I expected.

I watched as she pulled that guy towards her and they leaned in for a long kiss. Once they released, he climbed into the window and then she closed her curtains. I was left speechless as I stared at the darkness that was where the light from her room was.

That must have been her boyfriend; the one with the dog collar. How can I compete with a guy with a voice like that, amazingly operatic; whereas my voice is best for rock songs, or soft acoustic songs. I also noticed he had very broad shoulders and large muscles; there is definitely no way I can compete with that. I have small muscles but I'm more on the tall and lanky side.

I stopped thinking about them and something came to me, I was thinking too much into it. I don't know Courtney very well; I've only really become friends with her within the last day or so. Sure I've seen her around school, but she doesn't know me better from that. I shouldn't assume things; I should really get to know people first.

I decided to keep my mind away from her and went to check on Conrad; asleep in his crib, as I thought. I then proceeded to find Amy; no doubt she was in her room, either waiting for my parents or I to read her a story, or fast asleep. When I opened the door the light was out, but her night light shone bright enough for me to see that she was sitting in her bed, leaning on the window sill beside her.

I assumed that she didn't hear me, so I lightly tapped on the door frame so that she could detect my presence. She slowly turned her head around to face me, then held a finger to her mouth gesturing for me to be quiet. I tip toed towards her bed and sat down beside her and whispered, "What is it?" She stayed silent for a few moments before replying in a soft whisper just loud enough to hear, "Last night, after the party, after you tucked me in, I heard a voice. It's so pretty. And tonight I heard another voice, but this time it was different." That made me wonder what has been happening outside our windows lately. "What kind of voices?" She was silent for a while, trying to listen, but once she gave up she replied, "Last night, a girl was singing. I didn't look outside my curtains because I thought it could be a monster impersonating a princess. Tonight, I heard a boys voice, but again I didn't look outside the window, in case of it being a monster." I internally laughed at the idea, "You are a smart girl Amy, and you know there is no such thing as monsters." She turned away and crawled under her covers, "But the stories you have read me, about dragons and witches and sinens…" I chuckled, "Remember what I always say at the beginning and end of telling you those?" She nodded, "They're just apart of someone's imagination. Stories are written to entertain; you did say you wanted to hear fantasy stories about dragons, witches and _sirens_."

She pulled the covers closer to her and rested her head on the pillow, keeping herself safe and warm. Mum opened the door, she was just about to read Amy a story, but when she saw me, she simply kissed Amy and I goodnight and went to bed early.

Amy tugged on my shirt and looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, "Can you please read me a story?" I smiled at her, "Okay, but this is one I was told by mum when I was your age. I still remember it very well." She nodded, looking intrigued. It wasn't really a story that mum told me when I was little, I just wanted her to think it was a real story.

"_Once upon a time there was a girl with eyes more beautiful than diamonds, a handsome man that was very greedy and a younger, more handsome man that was very quiet. They all had one thing in common; they all lived in a palace. The girl was the most beautiful princess in the land; the castle belonged to her father who was the king. The two men were the princess's suitors; the greedy man didn't love the princess, he just wanted to be king, but the other man was very noble in his ways as he loved the princess with all of his heart."_

Amy interrupted my train of thought, and tugged my shirt, "Who does the princess love, Trent? She has to love the nobleman." I moved to lie next to her and she cuddled up against me, "I'm afraid not, Amy. You see the princess may have been beautiful beyond compare, but she was also naive." She togged on my shirt again, "What's naïve?" I looked down at her, "It means that she didn't understand see that the first man was greedy and the second man was noble." She nodded and gestured for me to continue.

"_Well the king prepared three tasks that the men must complete in order to win the princess's hand in marriage. The first task was to test strength; the greedy man proved he was stronger by killing a wild boar with his bare hands whilst the noble man caught nothing. The second task was of knowledge; the greedy man won that also because he cheated by paying a crook member of the guards for the questions beforehand. Before the last task started the princess ordered for it to stop. She believed that the greedy man was better because he seemed stronger and smarter than the quiet man. But her father protested and let the last task go through. It was to explain why they want to marry the princess. She immediately silenced and waited for the answers. The greedy man was stumped and couldn't come up with much at all; the princess was disappointed in that but didn't expect more out of the quiet man. But the quiet nobleman kneeled before the princess and took her hands; he vowed that he would care for her, love her and keep her happy for the rest of her life. She looked back and forwards between the two and instantly hugged the noble man. His words were what persuaded her that he really loved her for her and not for her riches. The next Sunday they married each other and lived happily ever after."_

I looked over at Amy; she was fast asleep, so I slowly moved away and shut the door lightly behind me. For a story made up on the spot, that was pretty decent. But it kept my mind on Courtney.

* * *

**AN:** i know this is late, im having less time to do this. during this week i did some work on the chapter and thought of uploading it as a teaser for the next chapter, but it was very short. and it was a bit mean.

so today i came up with the ending of this chapter and made everything up on the spot. for fanfics i dont really have a plan at where they are going, this should still have plenty of chapters left.

for those who know where the lyrics are from [when the mystery mohawked man sings] you are awesome.

also the story trent tells amy in the end, kinda tacky but i wanted to get the idea across that the current relationship between trent and courtney is a fantasy [if you didnt get that when you read it]. i also wrote it as it went along. i cant think of any story that is like that, so i hope its a first.

the next chapter being uploaded is also an unknown time, but as soon as i can finish off some pieces, maybe i can get back into it. im also rewriting a really long story with ten chapters in it because the storyline has changed in certian ways that the start now makes no sense. GAHH!!

**anyway, loving the reviews!! they keep me intrested in writing the story.**


	5. Knight In Shining Armor

The first day at school since we moved in felt strange; I noticed that Noah, Bridgette and Courtney were in a few of my classes. First off I had double Biology with Noah, which was very interesting as we partnered up for a dissection of a rat. Heather was in our class, so we kept referring the rat to her; we felt sorry for the rat.

During the course of my day, I had my three neighbors in classes with me; it's strange how I didn't notice them before. My last lesson of the day, music, with Courtney, was the lesson I had waited for all day. It was around time for assessment and today we had to partner up with someone to perform the songs we wrote. We could only choose one song, and I had hoped that I would partner up with someone that would perform mine with me. Before today I didn't really hang around with other people in my class, but now that I have befriended Courtney, perhaps something could happen.

I was last to arrive, as usual; my English teacher always keeps the class in long enough for us to get late slips at our next classes. So as I ran through the door, I saw everyone partnered up, except Heather. Courtney was sitting next to LeShawna; they were in the middle of a conversation when I burst in. I looked over at an angry Heather with her arms crossed, then over to Courtney who didn't notice me arrive. I was so pissed off, "You gotta be kidding me! Does this mean I'm stuck with Heather?" I yelled to the room, not at anyone in particular. It was unusual of me as I never burst into anger like that, or even talk really. Though once I did, the whole room became silent and every eye was on me. More moments of silence passed as people looked at me and Heather; a few whispers broke the silence but not enough to make everyone go back to their own business.

Suddenly Courtney stood up, "Miss, if it's okay with you, LeShawna and I have agreed to split up." Everyone looked over at Miss Bronstein; she looked up with forlorn eyes and nodded, using her whiteout to get rid of the pairing. As the room became noisy again, Courtney walked over to me bringing her violin, "Do you want to work with me?" I looked over at LeShawna, who had stomped over to Heather and grumpily took a seat near her. "Only if LeShawna is okay with it," I said trying not to look rude; she smiled back at me, "Don't worry, we're having a bet. If LeShawna can shave or get Heather to shave her head by performance date, I owe her $10." I started laughing, she was good. "What if she doesn't is she giving you $10?" She nodded; those two don't seem like the type to hang out with each other, but I guess when you don't have much else, you get to know people you normally wouldn't.

"So what type of music is your song? I wanted mine to be a bit classical, but LeShawna wanted to sing RNB with my violin making it sound more... artistic." Here was my chance for my song to be heard, "Well I wanted to play my song with an electric guitar, to get the feeling of anger and sadness out. If we somehow fit in the violin, we can make it sound poetic. I'd like to try my song with you playing the violin." She smiled, "Sure, then we can try my song with your guitar and decide which one we want to perform." I nodded, "Sounds like a good idea."

"So show me your sheet music," Courtney asked with her hand out in front of me. I grabbed my music folder and pulled it out, taking a quick glance at it, making sure of what I was handing to her. As I glanced, I realized that I couldn't possibly play this with Courtney, when I wrote this I was getting out my sadness from seeing her at the piano for the first time. "Uh, Trent? Is something wrong?" I looked up at her, "Let's just play your song." She stared at me confused, "C'mon, it can't be that bad, just show me." I pulled it out of her reach, she was so small without her heels; I was at least a head higher than her when she wore the school uniform.

She jumped and tried to pull my arm down, never able to reach the pieces of paper in my right hand. Having enough she tackled me to the ground, landing on top of me. I didn't complain I just went with it; it didn't hurt after all. I was dazed as I saw her slim legs on either side of my torso, not covered by the short skirts that the school sets as a girl's uniform. Finally she grabbed it and hopped off me, she just sat beside me as she read through the sheet music.

I sat up a bit so that my elbows were holding me up to read along with her, moments later she looked at me, "Trent, this is beautiful. Why wouldn't you want to play this?" I shrugged, "Can I see your song?" She shook her head, "No way, with something like this to compare my lyrics to, there's no competition. We are playing your song. You have to come over my house sometime, or vice versa, and rehearse this. We may have plenty of class time, but practice makes perfect." I smiled back at her, I wasn't going to playfully fight her for her song, I was too happy that she loved my lyrics. And even happier when she mentioned that she wanted to hang out more; that just made my day. "Sure, maybe when we go home, I can play it for you then. The sound proof rooms here aren't sound proof enough for my liking." She nodded, "Not to mention, the best rooms will have been taken by now." I looked around at the room, not noticing this before. We were the only two there, even our teacher was gone; probably checking on other students.

For the rest of the lesson, I played the main chords in the song and Courtney tried to keep up with her violin. I had to correct her a few times because she wasn't playing a tune with the right emotion; she was courteous enough to find other ways of playing and perfected herself quickly. As she was writing down the notes she needed to memorize, I decided to ask her something that I probably shouldn't, "So who was that guy that climbed into your window last night?" She stopped abruptly and played a sour note in doing so. Looking over at me with shock she decided to ask, "You saw him?" I nodded, "Someone was singing outside, curiosity got the best of me."

She held her right shoulder, looking pained in doing so, "That was Duncan, he is my boyfriend." I knew who he was of course, but I didn't know his name. I didn't know if I should have pressed on; but like an idiot, I did, "Didn't know you were into punks." She shrugged, "I guess. Hope that doesn't change what you think of me." I shook my head; of course it didn't, I've known about it for a while. If I told her that she might be a bit creped out though. "Trust me, I'm not judgmental. But tell me, what type of guys are you into?"

She hesitated in answering, I understood why, but I still wanted an answer. "Well, I'm usually into nice guys. The type that would sweep a woman off her feet, the type that would protect her from danger. Romantic and spontaneous; attempting many cute gestures, not necessarily succeeding, but making a fool of himself just to impress the girl. Like in those romantic comedies I used to love." She removed her hand from her shoulder and looked away, "But now I guess I love the opposite. Duncan didn't exactly sweep me off my feet; he was just being a flirt. He's not exactly a spontaneous person, but there is the occasional gesture like the one you saw last night." I felt like her best friend at that moment; she was baring her soul to me, even though she barley knew me.

"Does he protect you from danger?" She looked back at me with watery eyes, "I guess not. You saw him Trent, he _is_ danger." I moved closer to her and wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into a hug, "Then why do you date him?" She hugged me back and buried her face in my chest, "Trent, you can't tell anyone else about this. I still can't believe that I've told you this much." I hugged her tighter, "Why have you?"

I waited for an answer in silence, thankfully no one else was in the room so that she could be herself with me, "I guess it's because you seem like a great guy Trent. Out of the time I've spent with you, I've always had fun or felt safe. And I can't exactly talk about these things to Noah and Bridgette. Noah isn't exactly knowledgeable about romantic relationships; and if Bridgette found out, she would get her boyfriend, Geoff, to hurt Duncan." I really didn't know what to say, "If Duncan is hurting you, then why don't you want him to get hurt?" She shook her head, "I don't want anyone to get hurt. That's another reason I'm telling you; you wouldn't do something if a friend begged you not to."

I looked down at her, still hiding her tears from me, "I won't. Just promise me that you will do something to stop those tears." She finally looked up at me, her watery eyes filled with joy, or relief, "I knew I could trust you, Trent." She sat up to kiss me on the cheek, before she moved away and pulled herself together. The bell rang and she immediately stood up, "Come on Trent, lets go find Bridgette and Noah so we can go home." I looked up at her as she had her hand out to help me up. I quickly gathered my things and accepted her hand, but after she helped me up, she didn't let go.

She pulled me all the way to her locker; afterwards we walked to mine but she didn't pull me along that time. I was bummed out about that, but I felt so much of a connection when we were in the music room that I didn't care if she still loved her boyfriend. She was either happier than before or hiding her emotions in front of the others, whichever one it was, I would know later, so I didn't bother asking her. Before going home we walked over to the nearby shops to get some drinks and snacks. I had a feeling that we would do this a lot, and I liked it. It feels just like when I hung out with my old neighbors. I'm not sure if this was a regular thing, but Geoff accompanied us; he didn't in the morning, so I'm not sure if he lives nearby or anything, but I'd find out sooner or later.

We took a shortcut to get back to our street, Geoff suggested it, but it seemed dodgy. We walked through an almost abandoned area, right beside the train line. The only other people we saw were half a dozen guys who all wore baggy denim pants and their hoods over their heads. "Dudes relax, these guys won't hurt us," Geoff told us, I didn't believe him; neither did Bridgette who held onto Geoff tightly. Courtney looked a bit nervous as well so I put my arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to me. She looked into my eyes and smiled, also wrapping her arms around my torso to be closer and feel safer. She leaned up and whispered into my ear, "Thank you Trent, you're my knight in shining armor." I leaned down to whisper into her ear, "And you're my damsel in distress." I would have said beautiful, but that might have been weird for her.

Once we left the area, we walked behind the others; even though we were clear of danger, Courtney still kept a hold on me. I leaned down at her, "Are you okay?" Courtney shook her head, "Something isn't right, those guys looked familiar." I felt confused, "That _is_ strange. You think they might be following us?" She shrugged and called out to the others, "Do you think you guys can sleep over tonight? I'd feel safer if you did." Bridgette, Geoff and I nodded, "I'm free, and I'm sure Geoff is too." Noah remained silent, thinking to himself, "I'm not busy; whatever makes you feel better Courtney." Her face showed relief and she let go of me, instead she held onto my right arm with both of her hands. "Thanks you guys, I just don't want to be alone tonight." I'm not sure why the sudden need of company was brought on, though I'm sure it was brought on by going past that gang.

I just wanted to tell her, but I couldn't without possibly making things weird between us. _Whenever you feel unsafe or hurt, I'll be there to shield you from danger. All you need to do is ask._


	6. The Bowser and Peach Accident

That night we decided to watch a movie in Courtney's room. Geoff brought some scary movies to have an excuse to put his arm around Bridgette; he would be able to in any movie, so I'm not sure why we had to put up with _Valentine_. Halfway through the movie I looked around at the others; of course Bridgette being "protected" by Geoff, I thought I should see if Courtney was okay. She sat to my right, eating the popcorn quietly, not wanting to miss any clue of the psycho being nearby. One of the girls was in the spa, calm, relaxed, unaware. Suddenly, when the killer jumped out and trapped her with a thick, clear shield, I Courtney jumped, dropping some of the remaining popcorn. She turned to Geoff and Bridgette, noticing her close friend was also weary of watching. "Geoff, can we please stop watching this. It's a bit, scary."

She looked back at the screen when the killer was using a chainsaw to cut through the shield and hopefully the girl too. Noah seemed pretty normal about seeing this. In his monotone voice he told Courtney, "It's not that bad. It's so obvious that they use fake blood. The way it splatters, it's just not fully correct. Trust me Courtney; these actors aren't really being killed, unfortunately." Always so cynical, but he does have many valid points.

I lifted my right arm and patted her on the back, "Don't worry, I'm not really into it either." She looked over at me, looked over at Bridgette and Geoff for a few seconds, and then moved closer to me. "Can you protect me? You are my knight after all." I moved closer so that I could whisper, "Only if you and I have a talk in private later." She moved even closer, "Sure."

Now that I knew her boyfriend was the dangerous type, I was a bit afraid of what he would do to me if he knew I was close to his girl. The dangerous type (to me) are usually greedy or envious; most of the time, both. I just wanted to hold on to Courtney so badly, mainly because I've never grown this attached to a girl that is possibly attracted to me. Most of the girls I like are complicated, or are hard to find. Someone with class, is a bit old fashioned (like myself), and most of all, is playful or knows how to just relax every once in a while.

Courtney wiggled to get comfortable; she looked up at me and whispered, "Hey Trent." I looked down into her deep brown eyes, "Thank-you." She looked back at the screen and I kissed the top of her head.

--

Noah and Bridgette were playing scrabble in the living room while Geoff was asleep on Courtney's couch. Meanwhile I was upstairs with Courtney in her room. It's strange, I always thought girls had really pink rooms; Courtney's room was very organized and there were very few colours. Most of the furniture was made of the same timber, coated in estapol to look and feel shiny. Her room reminded me of a classic library with the type of timber and the green leather used around the room. She had a large bookshelf that was packed with books, plus several piles around her desk and on her bedside table. To be frank, I was impressed.

"I like your room," That wasn't much of a compliment, like didn't seem to be a good enough word. She smiled, "Thanks, Bridgette thinks I should get with the times, but you and Noah seem to like it." She walked over to her huge bed – I assumed it was queen sized – and sat down next to her pillows, picking up a soft teddy bear and hugging it. I walked over to her and sat awkwardly on the side, "I really need to talk to you, Courtney. I'm concerned." I moved closer, crossing my legs in front of her, "What do you mean by your boyfriend being the dangerous type?"

She turned away and looked at her opened windows. She held up a finger to gesture for me to wait before she got up, closed and locked the windows, then closed the curtains. I stood up and held her hands as she stayed silent for a while, "Is he hurting you?" Her eyes widened, I'm not sure why, "I don't know; kind of, not really?"

This was a bit confusing, "Let me get this straight, he is the dangerous type but he isn't hurting you?" We were silent for a while, she looked from me to her left wrist, which I had just noticed her wearing a silver bracelet with an emerald gem. She looked me in the eyes and finally spoke, "He is protective of me, but he doesn't protect me; if that makes any sense." I kept staring at her as she continued, "He hangs around dangerous people and loves the thrill of danger; he's also a bit of a show off. One time, we were riding his motorbike," she paused and held her shoulder, "He thought it would be fun to race someone, and since it was late at night, the only people out were the ones that would agree to that kind of thing."

She pulled her sleeve down to reveal her shoulder and the scar it showed. "We were going at lease a hundred and forty kilometers per hour, he didn't know the road well and he didn't know about the sharp turn to the right. He didn't slow down quick enough and we were thrown off. When I woke up in the hospital the next day, he was gone; but he left a note. It said _'Sorry 'bout last night babe. Had to bolt, I'll see you tonight?' _

"It's like he knew I was okay. The doctor said I was lucky enough to not get any serious injuries. I walked out of that hospital alone; I had to lie to my parents when I got home. I told them I was at Bridgette's house, studying, and we fell asleep. They let it go, thankfully. That night when Duncan climbed up to my window, he wanted to go out again. When I asked him about why he left me at the hospital, he said there were cops at the scene and he'd recently stolen a few things. Said he needed to lie low for a while, said he didn't want to go back to juvie."

She paused for a while; it was a lot to get off her chest at once, "Am I stupid for staying with a guy that treats me like I'm indestructible, when I can be with a guy that knows I'm delicate?"

I shrugged my shoulders and scratched the back of my neck, "Who did you have in mind?" I tried to say it with subtlety, she giggled, "Trent, I'm not stupid. You should know that." I kept scratching my neck and looking away from her, "Of course I know that."

I could hear her move closer; when I looked back, her eyes were inches away from mine. Her rich brown eyes reminded me of chocolate with a caramel center as they glowed in the yellow light. "I've seen the way you look at me, even before you moved in next door. I've seen the way that you treat girls with respect, even if they push you out of their way. You've been such a gentleman to me, and I'm sure many others also. I know this is wrong of me to still be with a guy and want you to myself, but I just want to know something."

I nodded and eagerly waited for her to continue, I could feel her warm breath as she leaned over to whisper, "Can you protect me from danger?" She looked me in the eyes again, "Why wouldn't I?"

She leaned in to kiss me, her warm lips passionately pressed against mine, longing for something that I couldn't put my finger on. Perhaps she was scared, I didn't understand it.

When she released me there was an awkward silence that I had to end, "You know, this is just like a game." She seemed puzzled, "How so?" I moved closer to her and put my arm around her shoulders, "Well; you the beautiful Princess Peach, is being held captive by the dangerous Bowser, waiting to be saved by the simple plumber, Mario." She giggled, "I guess so, Mario." She kissed me once more before we returned to the living room.

* * *

**AN: i've been busy recently, sorry about the late update.**

**anyway, this chapter was cleaning up the duncan thing. i didnt want to make him a girl basher, just wanted him to be dangerous. **

**and i know lame ending. gimmie a break, i havent looked at this in so long.**

**anyway, thanks for all the reviews, if anyone has any suggestions for where this should go, because i'm comming to a point where i can easily conclude it. it will be dissapointing, but it will be concluded. i prefer to read ff's than write them. i hate making storylines i cant use anywhere else because its posted here.**


End file.
